Call to Action on Groundwater Management

Working Group on Call to Action on Groundwater Management

Aims: To develop a clear statement on policy principles for groundwater management, including MAR within that context.

Origins: This objective and subsequently working group arose from a discussion among the steering committee of ISMAR9 in Mexico City, June 2016, to maximise the value of the symposium, by creating an international forum for discussing and crystallising a set of coherent, easily communicated policy principles for groundwater management. There are many long documents that do this in different contexts but there was seen to be a gap in material that could be used in communication with government ministers and communities.

Activities: At ISMAR9 two sessions were assigned to this task, the first taking inputs from various countries where different approaches were used. This was used by a small team to construct draft policy principles that were then discussed and further synthesised. Subsequently a working group was formed to refine the outcomes of the workshop to produce a document that was then circulated more widely for comment, further refined and adopted as a communication called a “Call to Action on Groundwater Management”.

Achievements: The main aim of the working group has been completed. Some members continue to disseminate the document which has been used in Stockholm Water Week (by GRIPP), IAH 43rd Congress Montpellier, and in guidance of various groundwater policy frameworks in USA, Mexico and Australia. The document is freely available to all who wish to use it.

Working Group Members:

Principal Authors:

Roberto Ramírez de la Parra, National Water Commission (CONAGUA), Mexico